Saturday, February 13, 2010

Argo General Store

IN the middle of Nowhere, you'll come to a four-way stop at Territorial and Wells Ferry Road. On the corner you'll see a small yellowish building with an old tin sign. Then you know you're there. But where is there? Bowkers' Argo General Store in the town that isn't really a town, Argo, Iowa.There's many interesting stories about Argo- the half dozen people that live there, the world's smallest parades, and Charlie, the old black lab that used to hang out at the store for apparently almost 20 yrs, since it opened. Charlie is gone now, but most of the customers seem to have been coming to Argo for just as long..

old farmers and laborers chatting over the noon hour.

As you can see, it's really not much of a general store per se. It's really a bar that sells some convenience store items. Here we have a wall of chips and candy.

The decor is a delightful mix of Nascar and old ass flour tins faded from years of sitting in the sun. If I owned the place, I'd try a little harder to make it feel like an old time store, but when you're in the middle of nowhere, I guess you don't give a sh*t. The regulars sure don't. So it must be the food bringing people in...

We were too late for breakfast, which I hear is delicious. The Argo Haystack, a layered dish with hashbrowns, eggs, and sausage would've been my choice.

Richie opted for the double bacon cheeseburger...not too impressive from this angle

But now...

Take a look at that future food baby. Yes, there are 6 huge slices of bacon, 2 1/4 lb patties, and 2 pieces of melty american cheese. The only veggies are onions. You know, lettuce and tomato just add extra calories.

I ordered a hot ham and cheese and fried cheese balls. I had to disassemble the sandwich and just eat the ham and cheese. RIP ham and cheese.

That bread was buttered to death

So how do you consume such a large burger? Dr. Richie examines the patient from all angles, looking for a good entry point.

Once he gets a firm grasp on the patient, he takes a deep breath and administers mouth to burger.

Like many hidden gems, the menu wasn't varied, but the food was decent. If you're looking for a beer and a burger and happen to be lost in Scott County, stop by Argo. It will be made with tender loving care by a lady who has been cookin there for years. For health reasons, I wouldn't eat there everyday, but then again, those dudes sittin in the corner seemed pretty old and relatively healthy.

Despite appearances, it was tasty and clean enough to convince us to come back sometime and try breakfast.